People with disabilities are an integral fabric in our communities in the United States and around the world. We range from leading thinkers and innovators to every day citizens.

NEW YORK, NY, October 28, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Viscardi Center today issued a "Call for Nominations" for the Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards, which pay tribute to exemplary leaders in the disability community who have had a profound impact on shaping attitudes, raising awareness and improving the quality of life of people with disabilities. The Award recipients will be announced on Monday, May 5, 2014.

The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards were developed to honor the legacy and vision of the New York-based Center's founder, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., who himself wore prosthetic legs. As one of the world's leading advocates for people with disabilities, he served as a disability advisor to eight presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter.

"People with disabilities are an integral fabric in our communities in the United States and around the world. We range from leading thinkers and innovators to every day citizens," said John D. Kemp, President and CEO of The Viscardi Center. "Despite our significant contributions, people with disabilities continue to face considerable barriers. Our Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards are designed to recognize the tireless efforts being made on a daily basis to better integrate people with disabilities into everyday life and allow every person to achieve to their fullest potential."

Individuals of any age, with any type of disability, are eligible. The Awards will recognize individual, academia, athletic, community, government, nonprofit, military, corporate, and business leaders who are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

The Selection Committee, co-chaired by former U.S. Senator Robert Dole and the Honorable Luis Gallegos, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in Geneva, also includes Rohini Anand, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer at Sodexo, Rosangela Berman Bieler, Senior Adviser on Children with Disabilities at UNICEF (2013 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award recipient), Cari Dominguez, former Chair of the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Sherwood D. Goldberg, Esq. (Col. Ret), Senior Advisor for Asian Affairs at the Center for Naval Analysis, Hiro Itoh, President & CEO of Abilities of Japan, Axel Leblois, President & CEO of the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTS (G3ict), Patrick Rummerfield, Director-Patient Liaisons at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute (2013 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award recipient), James Sinocchi, Director, Workforce Communications at IBM, and Nina Viscardi, daughter of Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr..

Additional information, as well as nomination submission instructions, may be found online at www.viscardiawards.org. Nominations will be accepted until February 28, 2014.

The Viscardi Center provides Pre-K through High School education, school-to-work transition services, vocational training, career counseling and placement, assistive technology and workforce diversification assistance to children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and businesses. A global leader, it employs more than 300 professionals, including experts in education, human resources and technology. Learn more at viscardicenter.org.

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